Very few things remain the same for too long in the business world. Change is inevitable – whether it be policies, procedures, or the overall culture. But when that change occurs, the way it is addressed can make all the difference. A successful change management strategy results in more productivity and growth, while a failed implementation can damage processes, productivity levels, reputation, and revenue.
Anticipating change and applying intelligent change management strategies can help to clear the inevitable hurdles along the way.
Why Change Management is Vital
At its core, change management is a risk mitigation strategy that avoids excess costs and allows an organization to remain relevant and competitive in the marketplace. Failure to manage change can result in reduced productivity, employee attrition, poor product quality, and a damaged reputation.
This article will discuss proactive steps a company should take to successfully manage any change initiative.
1. Obtain corporate-wide buy-in: A commitment to change and ownership in the process are significant factors that determine success or failure. All major stakeholders should work with their employees to secure feedback and reduce the organization’s overall resistance to change. Employees who feel valued and heard during the change process are more likely to contribute to its success. Companies can also seek to onboard new hires who are self-sufficient and familiar with dynamic environments.
2. Clearly define the scope of the proposed change: Before beginning the change process, a clear outline must be created that addresses the present need, barriers to implementation, and precise goals. Companies should also consider relevant industry trends and include appropriate adaptations.
3. Create a cross-functional project team: Each change management implementation strategy will encompass several smaller projects. Each project will require a targeted cross-functional team to manage individual tasks. When team members have explicitly defined roles based on their expertise, their ownership and emotional commitment to that change plan increases.
4. Prepare for the change process by opening communication: Before any change to established procedures or methods, your employees should understand why the change is occurring and how the change will benefit both the company and the individual. Transparency in all communication is essential, as it equips the workforce and facilitates the acceptance of change at all levels.
5. Develop a change implementation strategy: A comprehensive and detailed plan to identify important milestones is critical to success. For a seamless implementation, companies should have a plan outlining scope, integrations, necessary resources, communication protocols, timeframes, expenses, and risks. A practical change management plan speeds up implementation by anticipating and overcoming resistance and hurdles before they arise.
7. Solicit employee feedback throughout the process: Monitoring how employees feel before, during, and after the change has been implemented can give leadership valuable insight into the viability of their strategy. Online, anonymous survey tools can solicit and streamline employee feedback and allow management to make any necessary adjustments. Feedback is the foundation for informed decision-making.
8. Perform small-scale test launches for your change: When the change will impact the entire organization, implement a small pilot with a subset of the company before any large-scale launch. These small events can help to identify potential technical issues and provide valuable insight into employee responses and client reactions. When early adopters are identified, use them to champion the change initiative to the rest of the company. But be sure to set deadlines and limits, or the test phase can drag on and delay the full-scale implementation.
9. Document the entire implementation process to facilitate your next change initiative: It’s vital to document the successes and best practice policies of your change initiatives, as they will help to build a repeatable system that your organization can trust to be successful. Documenting the process also provides an educational guideline for new hires to reference during subsequent change activities.
10. Train your staff on how to cope with and navigate change: Organizational training programs to address the stress, anxiety, and fear that can accompany widespread change initiatives will support current and future planning. Online training sessions, on-demand video presentations, interactive forums, and town halls can help employees to feel engaged, involved, and essential to the process.
Throughout the change management process, access to best practices documentation and information is vital to your success.
KLONE enables leaders to operationalize change initiatives.
1. Align their leadership team on the expectations of change initiatives
2. Capture and share the knowledge and information to operationalize and implement the change
3. Collect and aggregate feedback real-time from employees/workforce
4. Make more informed decisions based on the feedback
If your business is introducing a new change initiative or simply implementing a new strategy, call KLONE today to learn how this process can be automated and operationalized. Aggregate, standardize, and deliver information and knowledge company-wide with KLONE.